This three foot gater was holed up under a car in a Katy subdivision. Pest Controllers suggest he was waiting to pounce on unsuspecting cats which sometimes crawl up into the wheel arch of parked vehicles.

Photo: Gotcha Pest Control

This three foot gater was holed up under a car in a Katy...

Image 2 of 12

This three foot gater was holed up under a car in a Katy subdivision. Pest Controllers suggest he was waiting to pounce on unsuspecting cats which sometimes crawl up into the wheel arch of parked vehicles.

Photo: Gotcha Pest Control

This three foot gater was holed up under a car in a Katy...

Image 3 of 12

This three foot gater was holed up under a car in a Katy subdivision. Pest Controllers suggest he was waiting to pounce on unsuspecting cats which sometimes crawl up into the wheel arch of parked vehicles.

Photo: Gotcha Pest Control

This three foot gater was holed up under a car in a Katy...

Image 4 of 12

This three foot gater was holed up under a car in a Katy subdivision. Pest Controllers suggest he was waiting to pounce on unsuspecting cats which sometimes crawl up into the wheel arch of parked vehicles.

Photo: Gotcha Pest Control

This three foot gater was holed up under a car in a Katy...

Image 5 of 12

Cats are not to be messed with though. Mugsy, a tabby from LaPlace La., faced down not one but two gators and went viral back in 2010.

Photo: You Tube/Vision Gate/Al Rosenberg

Cats are not to be messed with though. Mugsy, a tabby from LaPlace...

Image 6 of 12

Cats are not to be messed with though. Mugsy, a tabby from LaPlace La., faced down not one but two gators and went viral back in 2010.

Photo: You Tube/Vision Gate/Al Rosenberg

Cats are not to be messed with though. Mugsy, a tabby from LaPlace...

Image 7 of 12

Cats are not to be messed with though. Mugsy, a tabby from LaPlace La., faced down not one but two gators and went viral back in 2010.

Photo: You Tube/Vision Gate/Al Rosenberg

Cats are not to be messed with though. Mugsy, a tabby from LaPlace...

Image 8 of 12

Cats are not to be messed with though. Mugsy, a tabby from LaPlace La., faced down not one but two gators and went viral back in 2010.

Photo: You Tube/Vision Gate/Al Rosenberg

Cats are not to be messed with though. Mugsy, a tabby from LaPlace...

Image 9 of 12

Cats are not to be messed with though. Mugsy, a tabby from LaPlace La., faced down not one but two gators and went viral back in 2010.

Photo: You Tube/Vision Gate/Al Rosenberg

Cats are not to be messed with though. Mugsy, a tabby from LaPlace...

Image 10 of 12

Cats are not to be messed with though. Mugsy, a tabby from LaPlace La., faced down not one but two gators and went viral back in 2010.

Photo: You Tube/Vision Gate/Al Rosenberg

Cats are not to be messed with though. Mugsy, a tabby from LaPlace...

Image 11 of 12

Cats are not to be messed with though. Mugsy, a tabby from LaPlace La., faced down not one but two gators and went viral back in 2010.

In the past at least one furry feline has been known to face off gator. Mugsy, of Cajun Pride Swamp Tours in LaPlace, La., went viral when he slapped down a gator in 2010. The fearless tabby even took on a second when the reptile returned with back up.

Griffin usually just picks up the alligators by grabbing the back of their neck with one hand and the tail with the other. His catch in Katy was a little more difficult.

"It wasn't easy because he was between the curb and the end of the car," said Griffin. He used a noose instead.

"It doesn't hurt them because there is a certain spot where I had it over a bone," Griffin said. "You've got to be slow and skillful though."

The pest controller's suggestion that alligators are searching for cats comes from a lifetime of experience dealing with the animals which he says have an amazing memory and can learn when warm cars return each day.

"I've seen one alligator lay next to a house on the same day each year for eight years because he knew that was the day (the owner) had a party," Griffin said.

Perhaps the alligator just wanted to bring a brithday gift? Or wave the flag for Fourth of July?

The Katy gator has now been returned to the wild, but not before having its hands tied behind its back like a common criminal cat thief.